Tactical Leadership:

We encountered numerous challenges during our trip to DC, but due to the leadership in our group, we were able to overcome them in stride.

One such issue we faced was our parking situation. We had trouble finding parking on our night of arrival, because of this our leaders decided to drive and park at the airport. They were able to eventually get back by figuring out the DC metro system and walking. We would not have been able to figure out the logistics of parking and getting back had our group not used tactical leadership skills to figure out where to park, how to get back, and how to absorb the cost of it all.

Another obstacle we faced were cancellations. Our last service activity was cancelled by the hosts due to a snow storm, and thus we were left without a Service project our last day in DC. Our group leaders were able to overcome this by coming up with our own service project; handing out lunches to the homeless. The logistics of gathering the supplies, putting together the lunches, and transporting over 100 lunches to Union Station would not have been possible without the leadership and direction of our group members.

We encountered many more obstacles like the two listed above, which put a big strain on our trips budget. We were able to overcome this by passing on the cost of some of the personal meals on to the group members. It wasn't easy, but in the end we managed to remain under budget.

Leadership is more than just telling people what to do, it's being able to come up with alternatives when plans go awry, adapting to the change of plans made by the group leaders, and figuring out the logistics of executing the new plans made. We had a very successful trip, but that would not have been possible had our group members not been endowed with strong leadership skills.

Leaders/Active Citizens:

Aaron Griner- (ECO City Farms). Aaron was incredibly generous in sharing about his life experiences that led him to his current position as a the head of farming for Eco City. He had grown up working on a family farm in Georgia and had conducted service helping farmers in Africa with the Peace Corps before moving to the DC Metro. One of the most compelling aspects about Aaron was how his life experiences lined up with his passions and talent. Aaron helped illustrate of how business can address social issues while still delivering profit.

Kayla Agonoy- (ECO City Farms) Kayla taught us more about the community engagement and education aspect of Eco City. As future business leaders, Kayla helped us to understand the different aspects of Eco City's mission and the importance of educating people about sustainable/local farming. From a business standpoint, Kayla gave us new ideas how marketing and business development can also act as a benefit to a community through improving locals' diets.

H.R.Crawford- (Access Housing) Sadly, we did not get to meet Mr. Crawford due to his recent passing, however he provided an excellent insight into a way to combat the effects inequality in a community. The story of Mr. Crawford's inspiration for founding Access Housing was in part due to meeting veterans he had served with that were living on the street. His life accomplishments illustrate the power of matching considerable resources (Mr. Crawford's experience with housing and political network) with an understanding of and will to serve an undeserved population.

Mr. Howard- (Access Housing) As a former tenant at Access Housing, Mr. Howard had a great deal of first hand experience and knowledge to share with us about his perspective as a veteran who had experienced homelessness. One of the most powerful things he had to share was insights on the challenges that those facing homelessness have to overcome as well as some of the unique factors that make it uniquely difficult for veterans. His advice on the empowering effect that truly listening to others and ensuring that they do not feel judged came in handy for the rest of our DC trip and continues to serve us well when interacting with anyone. Mr. Howard showed us that the traditional assets that we associate with philanthropic success are not the only or even the best means to help others. He was especially effective in serving his tenants but also educating visitors like us because of his unique perspective.

Common themes: Each of the people we met or learned about on our trip was unique, but there are certain thematic elements that tied their stories together.

Active citizens- The active citizens we met learned from started down their respective paths because they were aware of the issues in their community and decided to do something according to their assets.

Leadership/Followership- With the exception of the founder of Access Housing (and even he was taking part in the larger fight to help veterans facing homelessness) each of the leaders we met had joined and contributed to a movement hat someone else had started. It's important to recognize the power of joining an organization/movement that is already underway.

Self Knowledge- When addressing any problem, it's important to inventory the resources you have on hand. The leaders we encountered selected roles that they were passionate about, but also things they were uniquely suited to contribute to in a meaningful way.